Index Investing News
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Home
  • World
  • Investing
  • Financial
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Stocks
  • Crypto
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
  • Home
  • World
  • Investing
  • Financial
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Stocks
  • Crypto
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
Index Investing News
No Result
View All Result

Venice 2023: Bayona’s Harrowing Survival Film ‘Society of the Snow’

by Index Investing News
September 17, 2023
in Entertainment
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
0
Home Entertainment
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Venice 2023: Bayona’s Harrowing Survival Film ‘Society of the Snow’

by Alex Billington
September 15, 2023

“What happened to us? What happens when the world deserts you?” Another film I was lucky to watch on the big screen at the 2023 Venice Film Festival this year was the latest film by acclaimed Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona (director of The Orphanage, The Impossible, A Monster Calls, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom). It’s called Society of the Snow, also known as La Sociedad de la Nieve in Spanish, adapted from the book of the same name by Pablo Vierci. For his fifth feature, Bayona decided to head to South America to tell the famous story of the scary crash and survival of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571. This is the same story told in the 1993 movie Alive, directed by Frank Marshall, which anyone who grew up in the 90s is absolutely familiar with for grotesque reasons. This is all a part of the story, a key part of the story, as it’s a survival thriller. In the real world, their story became known as the “Andes flight disaster” (Tragedia de los Andes) and “Miracle of the Andes” (Milagro de los Andes). This is their story told on screen… Again.

Bayona started out as a horror filmmaker and has a sense for capturing the most frightening and terrifying aspects of this world we all live on. This is precisely why he’s perfectly suited to tell this story. It may be the exact same story told before in other documentaries, movies, and TV series, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an engrossing watch anyway. I’ll be damned if this didn’t move me to tears by the end. Bayona’s version is built on hyper-realism and a more humanistic approach, not only offering a supremely cinematic depiction of the crash and survival, not shying away from any of the gross reality of their conditions. It’s also an extensive film, running a full 2 & 1/2 hours. The first half moves pretty fast – I checked the time when they were about 17 days into their survival, quite a long time, and only an hour had passed by. Bayona’s focus was also on making the performances from the entire cast feel authentic – choosing many real Uruguayan actors instead of a Hollywood cast like Alive. This makes it that much more heart-wrenching to watch because we spend so much time with the kids, getting to know them & feel for them, as they struggle to survive in the mountains.

Almost everyone in the early 1990s heard about Alive because it quickly became known as the cannibalism movie. It became a major part of pop culture conversations, and even “The Simpsons” parodied it. Yes, it’s true, Society of the Snow is the same cannibalism story as Alive, and this isn’t a spoiler. It’s a major part of the story because, as the film explains, this is the only way they could survive; it’s the only thing that kept them alive. Bayona doesn’t try to waste time on how gross this is, he instead focuses on the spiritual aspect of survival – referencing how everyone is consuming the “Body of Christ” during Catholic mass. The idea of cannibalism weighs heavily on all the survivors, and the main character of the film’s actual story is Numa Turcatti, played by actor Enzo Vogrincic, the one survivor who refused to eat any of the other people the entire time. He ultimately doesn’t survive before they’re rescued, but his narration remains as a haunting memory that carries much of the film. There’s no point in going in to watch Society of the Snow hoping it might skirt over the cannibalism, because it is a part of what happened up there. One thing it seems viewers should be thinking about is – the truth that none of them would’ve ever made it out alive without doing this.

Bayona’s attention to detail on the realism and setting high up in the Andes mountains makes it absolutely entrancing to watch. If only everyone could experience it in a cinema. The cinematography by DP Pedro Luque is stunning. But it’s also a powerfully touching film grounded in humanity – all these young people barely hanging on to life, trying to survive… That’s what makes it so moving – the performances bring you closer to their desperation. I couldn’t tell if they shot some of this in the real location, as it all looks and feels so real. A great example of how exceptional filmmaking can make a difference telling the same story from another movie all over again. The best part of it is the score by Michael Giacchino, who has collaborated with Bayona before on Jurassic World. His score is magnificent, but this is almost always the case with him. I thought this kind of survival story wouldn’t jolt me, but it really did. Something about the snow and the majesty of these Andes mountains and just how hard it is to stay alive as human beings on this harsh planet.

Alex’s Venice 2023 Rating: 8 out of 10
Follow Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing

Share

Find more posts: Review, Venice 23



Tags: BayonasFilmharrowingSnowsocietysurvivalVenice
ShareTweetShareShare
Previous Post

Constellation Software Handed the Keys to Empower, Optimal Blue

Next Post

Second Trailer for Teaching True Story ‘Radical’ with Eugenio Derbez

Related Posts

Mars Is Ours! Epic Full Trailer for ‘For All Mankind’ Series – Season 5

Mars Is Ours! Epic Full Trailer for ‘For All Mankind’ Series – Season 5

by Index Investing News
February 24, 2026
0

Mars Is Ours! Epic Full Trailer for 'For All Mankind' Series - Season 5 by Alex Billington February 24, 2026Source:...

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Standout Maxi Shield Dead at 51

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Standout Maxi Shield Dead at 51

by Index Investing News
February 23, 2026
0

Maxi Shield 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Star Dead at 51 Published February 23, 2026 8:03 AM PST Maxi Shield, the Australian drag...

50 Cent Teases New Netflix Movie With Kim Kardashian And Eva Longoria

50 Cent Teases New Netflix Movie With Kim Kardashian And Eva Longoria

by Index Investing News
February 22, 2026
0

X/@50cent 50 Cent has announced a new film project for Netflix which will feature a famous cast that includes Kim...

Eric Dane’s Friends Start GoFundMe To Support His Family

Eric Dane’s Friends Start GoFundMe To Support His Family

by Index Investing News
February 21, 2026
0

Following Eric Dane‘s death on Thursday, his friends and fans are stepping up to show their support to his family...

Stay Healthy and Fit During the Cold Winter Months

Stay Healthy and Fit During the Cold Winter Months

by Index Investing News
February 25, 2026
0

For most of us, the desire to wake up early and exercise or to go outside and exercise goes way...

Next Post
Second Trailer for Teaching True Story ‘Radical’ with Eugenio Derbez

Second Trailer for Teaching True Story 'Radical' with Eugenio Derbez

Mobile InsiderQ2 2023 – B-Stock Solutions

Mobile InsiderQ2 2023 - B-Stock Solutions

RECOMMENDED

Caitlin Clark’s green-light range made her the gold standard in women’s college basketball

Caitlin Clark’s green-light range made her the gold standard in women’s college basketball

February 12, 2024
Episode #394: Africa Startup Collection – Peter Nguyni, EarlyBird Enterprise Lab – Accelerating African’s Startup Ecosystem – Meb Faber Analysis

Episode #394: Africa Startup Collection – Peter Nguyni, EarlyBird Enterprise Lab – Accelerating African’s Startup Ecosystem – Meb Faber Analysis

March 12, 2022
Bitcoin reclaims K as decoupling narrative positive aspects momentum

Bitcoin reclaims $89K as decoupling narrative positive aspects momentum

April 22, 2025
Ondo Finance (ONDO) Explodes 122%

Ondo Finance (ONDO) Explodes 122%

March 26, 2024
CrossingBridge Advisors Q3 2023 Commentary

CrossingBridge Advisors Q3 2023 Commentary

October 14, 2023
Colombia inflation rate seen rising again in January By Reuters

Colombia inflation rate seen rising again in January By Reuters

February 1, 2023
Zoom updates terms after backlash, won’t train AI without consent By Cointelegraph

Zoom updates terms after backlash, won’t train AI without consent By Cointelegraph

August 8, 2023
Almost Half of People Are Completely Flawed About This All-Necessary Social Safety Rule

Almost Half of People Are Completely Flawed About This All-Necessary Social Safety Rule

October 20, 2024
Index Investing News

Get the latest news and follow the coverage of Investing, World News, Stocks, Market Analysis, Business & Financial News, and more from the top trusted sources.

  • 1717575246.7
  • Browse the latest news about investing and more
  • Contact us
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • DMCA
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • xtw18387b488

Copyright © 2022 - Index Investing News.
Index Investing News is not responsible for the content of external sites.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World
  • Investing
  • Financial
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Stocks
  • Crypto
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion

Copyright © 2022 - Index Investing News.
Index Investing News is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In